The present invention relates to a gun trigger that reduces friction between the trigger and a receiver bottom of a gun, has a front strap and a rear strap, and also sets trigger travel. The trigger can be a one-to-one replacement for a conventional trigger.
Military personnel and civilians alike desire accurate, yet simple and durable, firearms. One preferred type of firearm is a bolt-action rifle. Generally, a bolt-action rifle has a longitudinal axis. A barrel is in longitudinal alignment with a bolt. A cocking piece with a downwardly extending contact is at the rear end of the bolt. The bolt and cocking piece are within a receiver. The receiver has a bottom. The front of a sear is pivotally connected to the receiver. The rear of the sear has an upwardly extending sear contact. A trigger is pivotally connected to the sear. A conventional trigger, such as the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,904 to Hoard, has a top with two bumps thereon that engage the receiver bottom. When the trigger is pulled rearward parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rifle, the bumps slide forward against the receiver bottom, and the rear of the sear and the sear contact pivot down from the receiver bottom. The trigger has a break point. Pulling the trigger past its break point fires the rifle. Play in the trigger before the break point is called creep. Play in the trigger after the break point is called over-travel. Together, the creep and over-travel define the total trigger travel.
The rifle can be in one of three positions: an un-cocked position, a cocked position, and a fired position. In the un-cocked position, the cocking piece contact is behind and spaced from the sear contact, and the sear contact does not restrict the cocking piece movement. In the cocked position, the sear contact abuts the cocking piece contact to prevent the cocking piece from moving forward. In the fired position, the cocking piece contact is forward of and out of contact with the sear contact. When the rifle is in the cocked position, pulling the trigger past its break point causes the rifle to fire.
One problem with conventional triggers such as those shown in the Hoard patent is that a relatively large amount of sliding friction exists between bumps on the trigger and the receiver bottom. A patent showing just one bump but still having a similar amount of friction is U.S. Pat. No. 2,388,149 to Humeston. This friction contributes to a large trigger pull. Typically, four to five pounds of force, or more, need to be applied to the trigger in the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the gun to fire a gun. Yet, if the shooter fails to pull the trigger straight back, the shooter applies a transverse force to the trigger. A transverse force creates a torque in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the gun, which can cause the gun to twist about that axis. The larger the trigger pull, the greater the potential for this type of problem.
Further, the bumps on the trigger and the receiver bottom can wear away over time. This can cause permanent damage to both the trigger and the receiver bottom.
One publication entitled Gunsmith Kinks II, compiled by Frank Brownwell, and published by Brownwell and Son in 1983 shows a ball used in conjunction with a trigger. The ball is not secured in place within the trigger. Further, the sear must be retrofitted to receive the ball. Retrofitting the sear to receive the ball is an undesirable expense. Still further, the location of the ball relative to the trigger is not adjustable. As such, the trigger must be produced within a relatively exact tolerance in order for the gun to function properly. Even if the trigger is made to a relatively exact tolerance, each gun may be made to a less exact tolerance. It may be difficult to mass-produce a non-adjustable trigger. Additionally, gun owners may desire a fine-tuned gun trigger. Yet, the trigger shown in this publication is incapable of being fine-tuned. Hence, users may not find the trigger shown in this publication desirable.
A further problem with conventional triggers is that they have a large trigger travel. Shooters may find large trigger travel disruptive, as the shooter""s finger must go through a larger distance than necessary to fire the rifle.
The Hoard patent discloses two set screws to limit trigger travel. However, the set screws do not pass through pieces integral with the trigger. Rather, they pass through attachments that must be welded to the trigger. The production costs are undesirably high, and the welds may fail over time.
Other replacement triggers are complex and may require substantial modifications to the gun prior to installation. Many people would be incapable of installing the triggers themselves. The complex triggers may employ springs or the like, that may fail over time. One such design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,970 to Bell. The gun trigger in this patent is not a one-to-one replacement for a conventional trigger.
Traditional methods of manufacturing triggers have undesirable limitations. For example, stamping and molding are undesirable in that they are not precise enough. Laser cutting produces too much heat to cut tiny pieces, because the heat can melt the metal or otherwise cause undesirable hardening of the material.
There exists a need for a trigger that solves these and other problems.
The present invention relates to a gun trigger that increases accuracy by reducing friction between the trigger and receiver bottom and also sets trigger travel. The trigger is also lightweight and can be a one-to-one replacement for a conventional trigger. By way of illustration, the present invention is described in relation to a bolt-action rifle.
Generally, a bolt-action rifle with a longitudinal axis has a barrel in alignment with a bolt. A cocking piece with a downwardly extending contact is at the rear end of the bolt. The bolt and cocking piece are within a receiver. The receiver has a receiver bottom. The front of a sear is pivotally connected to the receiver. The rear of the sear has an upwardly extending sear contact. The trigger of the present invention is pivotally connected to the sear. No alterations are needed to the sear in order to use the trigger of the present invention. When the trigger is pulled rearward, the rear of the sear and the sear contact pivot down from the receiver bottom. The trigger has a break point. Pulling the trigger past the break point fires the rifle.
The trigger of the present invention has a finger element with a first and opposed second sides. The finger element has an extension and a catch. According to one aspect of the invention, the catch has a front strap and a rear strap. One or more openings are between the front and rear straps. One or more braces can be across the one or more openings. Further, one or more holes can be formed through each brace. Also, a person""s initials or a different design can be between the front and rear straps.
The trigger also has a head. The head has a first side that may be coplanar with the first side of the finger element, and a second side that may be coplanar with the second side of the finger element. A pivot hole is between the two sides of the head. A pin pivotally connects the trigger to the sear. According to another aspect of the invention, a socket is formed in the top of the head. The socket has sides and a bottom. A ball is received within the socket. A hole from the bottom of the socket to the bottom of the head is threaded to receive an adjusting screw. The location of the ball relative the bottom of the socket can be adjusted by adjusting the screw. When the trigger is pulled, the ball rolls along the receiver bottom. Hence, there is practically no friction between the trigger and receiver bottom. The required trigger pull to fire the rifle is reduced. Additionally, the integrity of both the trigger and receiver bottom is maintained.
Further in accordance with the present invention, the trigger has adjustable trigger travel. To accomplish this, a forward lug is provided to set the trigger creep. A hole from the top to the bottom of the forward lug is threaded to receive an adjusting screw to engage the bottom of the sear when the trigger is at a desired point forward of the break point. Likewise, a rearward lug is provided to set trigger over-travel. A hole from the top to the bottom of the rearward lug is threaded to receive an adjusting screw to engage the bottom of the sear when the trigger is pulled a desired distance beyond its break point. Both the forward and rearward lugs are integral with the head.
One advantage of the present invention is that the trigger can be a one-to-one replacement for a conventional trigger. In this regard, most anyone can replace the trigger simply by removing the conventional trigger and inserting the trigger of the present invention.
A feature of the present invention is that the ball location is adjustable. The triggers can be made to a less exacting tolerance, and still be used with virtually all intended guns. Further, the trigger position can be fine tuned by adjusting the ball location. A still further advantage of the adjustable ball location is the potential to set trigger creep even in the absence of a creep adjusting screw. The forward lug pivots upward as the ball is raised within the socket.
A further feature of the present invention is the method in which the trigger is produced. Producing the trigger by an abrasive jet machine is precise, produces little heat, is cost effective and is time efficient. The abrasive jet machine enables creation of intricate openings and comers within the finger element and the formation of thin straps. This precision was heretofore unavailable using traditional methods of trigger production such as metal stamping, molding and laser cutting.